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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — a coil
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — a stick
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. plane — a tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com